Moot Court: Merhige National Environmental Negotiation Competition

Description: The Merhige National Environmental Negotiation Competition, held each spring at the University of Richmond in Richmond, Virginia, provides an opportunity for law students to hone their negotiation techniques with students from other law schools. The format for the competition is similar to that of the ABA Negotiation Competition, with two two-person teams negotiating a solution to an environmental issue. In some rounds, the parties are a regulatory agency and a regulated company; in others, they might be an environmental group and a legislator or a legislative committee and a governor’s staff.

Team members are chosen from an in-school competition in late fall or early spring, and are then invited to sign up and receive credit for this course. During the spring semester, team members polish their negotiations and organization skills in numerous practice rounds judged by local law professors, attorneys and mediators. This moot court may be counted towards the Certificate in Environmental and Natural Resources Law.

Skills: negotiation, analysis

The American Bar Association accreditation standards require students to regularly attend the courses in which they are registered. Lewis & Clark expects students to attend classes regularly and to prepare for classes conscientiously. Specific attendance requirements may vary from course to course. Any attendance guidelines for a given class must be provided to students in a syllabus or other written document at the start of the semester. Sanctions (e.g., required withdrawal from the course, grade adjustment, and/or a failing grade) will be imposed for poor attendance.